March 2012

March 10, 2012

TCU's Gary Patterson usually takes his defense to the verbal woodshed at least once a spring. The 2012 version came after the Horned Frogs’ eighth spring practice Saturday.The offense, according to Patterson, dominated a 30-minute scrimmage.“They ran around us, they ran through us, they threw it over our head,” Patterson said. “We’ll give up about 50 points a game in the Big 12 if we play like I just saw us play today.”Patterson also took a jab at the offense, pointing out too many fumbles. Mostly, though, he lambasted the defense, saying he hopes the incoming freshmen, including Arlington Martin defensive end Devonte Fields, who watched Saturday’s practice, are ready to compete for starting jobs in August.“Some of these guys came here because we were really good on defense. Well, they better start living up to it because right now we’re not very good,” Patterson said. “When you go into a [scrimmage] that’s where you’re supposed to be special and we weren’t. We were bad.”Patterson wouldn’t point to a specific position on defense.“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “They don’t say the D-line gave up 20 points today. There’s only one group. If they’re throwing it, that means we didn’t get a pass rush, if they’re throwing it over our heads ... we’ve got a long way to go. Any [position] you want to talk about, we weren’t very good at it.”TCU practices Tuesday and Thursday before spring break. Monday's practice has been moved until after the break.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Missouri’s guard tandem of Phil Pressey and Kim English cut loose early and often to deny Texas the opportunity to join No. 12 Baylor in a Lone Star State showdown in tonight’s championship game of the Big 12 Tournament.

The fifth-ranked Tigers outlasted the Longhorns, 81-67, Friday night at the Sprint Center, with Pressey and English both contributing a game-high 23 points and center Ricardo Ratliffe adding 18. It marked the third time in three meetings for Missouri (29-4) to defeat Texas (20-13), which must wait until Sunday to learn if the Longhorns will be a part of the NCAA Tournament for a 14th consecutive season.

Most projections Friday night had the Longhorns receiving an at-large berth and being a No. 12 seed when the bracket for the 68-team field is announced Sunday.

Texas coach Rick Barnes said he was proud of his team _ which features six freshmen in its player rotation _ because it “continued to improve” throughout the year and, in his estimation, is deserving of an NCAA berth because of its body of work. Seven of Texas’ 13 losses have come against No. 5 Missouri (3), No. 3 Kansas (2) and No. 12 Baylor (2).

The primary concern coming out of the game, from a Texas standpoint, involved the health of guard J’Covan Brown, the team’s leading scorer. Brown hit his head on a photographer’s camera after making a driving layup in the second half.

He left the game for a brief stretch but returned and played a team-high 36 minutes.

“I banged my head on the camera. My neck got stiff on me,” said Brown, who scored a team-high 21 points and made 8-of-20 shots from the field. “But I’ll be alright.”

Although the Longhorns grabbed an early 6-2 lead against the Tigers, it disappeared quickly. Missouri took the lead for keeps, 8-6, on English’s layup with 15:03 left in the first half and built the margin to double digits before Texas cut the margin to 39-32 at the half.

But Missouri controlled the momentum and the tempo in the second half, keeping the lead in double figures throughout much of the final 20 minutes despite a lack of production by leading scorer Marcus Denmon. The senior, a first-team All-Big 12 performer, missed all 10 shots he took from the field and finished with only two points.

But the Longhorns could not take advantage. Texas trailed by 10 or more points for the final 14:41. Other than Brown, freshmen Jonathan Holmes (11 points) and Sheldon McClellan (10 points) were the only players to score in double figures.

Texas’ loss gave the Longhorns a 1-9 mark against Top 25 opponents this season. But Texas, which moved up to No. 45 in the latest RPI rankings after Thursday’s 71-65 victory over Iowa State, has four victories this season over teams in the Top 50 of the RPI: two over Iowa State, one over Kansas State and one over Temple.

Freshman guard Myck Kabongo indicated the Longhorns are optimistic about the NCAA chances.“We have something good to work for,” Kabongo said. “We’re going to go back and work hard and get ready for whatever’s next for us.”

For Missouri, the next item on the agenda will be tonight’s 5 p.m. game against Baylor in the Big 12 tournament finals at the Sprint Center. Baylor upset No. 3 Kansas, 81-72, in Friday’s other semifinal contest.

English said he knows the Tigers’ status as an SEC-bound school will not endear the team to fans from other school’s in today’s title game.

“We don’t care about the Big 12 not supporting us,” English said. “We’re really focusing on doing this for the people that do support us. For our coach, for our seniors … for the entire state of Missouri.”

Baylor will be fighting history in today’s title matchup. No team from Texas has won a Big 12 men’s tournament title since the league began competing in the 1996-97 school year.

March 09, 2012

KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Missouri’s guard tandem of Phil Pressey and Kim English cut loose early and often to deny Texas the opportunity to join No. 12 Baylor in a Lone Star State showdown in Saturday’s championship game of the Big 12 Tournament.

The fifth-ranked Tigers outlasted the Longhorns, 81-67, tonight at the Sprint Center, with Pressey and English both contributing a game-high 23 points and center Ricardo Ratliffe adding 18. It marked the third time in three meetings for Missouri (29-4) to defeat Texas (20-13), which must wait until Sunday to learn if the Longhorns will be a part of the NCAA Tournament for a 14th consecutive season.

Most projections tonight have the Longhorns receiving an at-large berth and being a No. 12 seed when the bracket for the 68-team field is announced Sunday.

Although the Longhorns grabbed an early 6-2 lead against the Tigers, it quickly disappeared. Missouri took the lead for keeps, 8-6, on English’s layup with 15:03 left in the first half and built the margin to double digits before Texas cut the margin to 39-32 at the half.

But Missouri controlled the momentum and the tempo in the second half, keeping the lead in double figures throughout much of the half. Texas guard J’Covan Brown led the Longhorns with 21 points.

Texas’ loss to Missouri gave the Longhorns a 1-9 mark against Top 25 opponents this season. But Texas, which moved up to No. 45 in the latest RPI rankings after Thursday’s 71-65 victory over Iowa State, has four victories this season over teams in the Top 50 of the RPI: two over Iowa State, one over Kansas State and one over Temple.

March 08, 2012

KANSAS CITY, Mo. _Texas boosted its opportunity to secure a 14th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament with Thursday night’s 71-65 victory over No. 25 Iowa State in the Sprint Center.

The victory gave the Longhorns (20-12) their first victory of the season against a team ranked in the Top 25 of the college basketball polls at the time the game was played. Texas also defeated No. 21 Temple, 77-65, on Dec. 17 when the Owls (24-6) were unranked.

J’Covan Brown led the Longhorns to Thursday’s victory by scoring a team-high 23 points. The triumph means Texas, No. 50 in the most recent RPI rankings and projected to be the final school into the 68-team NCAA field by ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi, enhanced its resume by defeating the Cyclones (22-10), the third seed in the Big 12 Tournament.

“In terms of the NCAA Tournament … I told our guys, ‘Let’s say we are on the bubble. If I wrote down ‘NIT’ or ‘NCAA,’ which one would you put your name under now?,’” said Texas coach Rick Barnes. “Whichever one you want, I can assure you you’re going to have to earn it ... And I’m just really proud of them. It’s a great team win. I thought we stayed with our game plan from start to finish better than at any point the entire year.”

Texas’ fate will not be decided until Sunday, unless the Longhorns earn the league’s automatic NCAA berth that goes to the Big 12 Tournament champion. But John Underwood, the Big 12 associate commissioner for men’s basketball, has run the numbers and likes Texas’ chances to land the league’s sixth NCAA berth as an at-large team.

“I think we’ll get six,” Underwood said. “I’ll be disappointed if we don’t.”

Texas has been considered an NCAA bubble team since securing a 9-9 finish in the Big 12 regular-season standings. But the Longhorns headed into Thursday’s game with an 0-8 record against ranked opponents.

That is now 1-8, thanks to a tight victory in which Brown’s 3-point play with 36 seconds remaining broke a 65-65 tie and triggered Texas’ 6-0 closing run. With the victory, Texas improved to 2-8 this season in games decided by six points or less.

The Longhorns advance to Friday’s semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament, where Texas will face No. 5 Missouri (28-4). The Tigers, an 88-70 winner over Oklahoma State, won both regular-season matchups against Texas.

To put itself in position to win, Texas went on a 22-4 run during a 6:11 stretch of the second half to erase a 40-29 deficit. The spurt put Texas on top by seven, and the lead eventually reached eight before Iowa State rallied behind forward Royce White (17 points, 10 rebounds).

White’s jumper with 52 seconds remaining forged a 65-65 tie, which Brown broke with his three-point play on the Longhorns’ ensuing possession. Brown made a short jumper in the lane while being fouled by Iowa State’s Scott Christopherson.

“I drove left and when I felt (a defender) on my side, I had to spin and I did,” Brown said. “And Christopherson came over and fouled me. I knew I had to get it on the rim.”

He did. The ball went down and, moments later, so did Brown’s foul shot. Three more free throws _ two by Jonathan Holmes, one by Myck Kabongo _ sealed the biggest victory of the season for a Texas team that has six freshmen in its rotation and played Thursday night without 6-foot-7 forward Alexis Wangmene (wrist), its top interior defender.

Yet the Longhorns, using a four-guard offense for much of the second half, were outrebounded by only a 41-39 margin by the taller, burlier Cyclones. Texas also limited itself to six turnovers while forcing 13.

“We’re not young any more. We’ve grown up,” said Kabongo, a freshman point guard who contributed seven of his 11 points during Texas’ second-half rally against ISU. “We’ve shown strides, every single one of us.”

Now, all signs point to those freshmen being headed to the NCAA Tournament. Typically, teams must finish in the Top 50 of the RPI rankings to earn an at-large, NCAA berth.

Texas’ victory over Iowa State, the No. 30 team in the latest RPI, will comfortably boost Texas into the Top 50. It also gave the Longhorns their fourth victory of the season against opponents ranked in the Top 50 of the RPI: two against Iowa State, one against Kansas State (No. 42 in RPI) and one against Temple, No. 13 in the latest RPI.

Brown said Thursday’s game had an NCAA-type feel because of everything on the line for the Longhorns.

“Tournament time is always a great thing to play in,” Brown said. “The crowd, I think we only had like a couple of fans. But they had a great amount of fans. You love to walk into other gyms and quiet their fans. So we went out there and just gave it our all for 40 minutes.”

In all likelihood, that effort probably clinched the Longhorns’ 14th consecutive berth to the NCAA Tournament.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. _Texas boosted its opportunity to secure a 14th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament with Thursday night’s 71-65 victory over No. 25 Iowa State in the Sprint Center.

The victory gave the Longhorns (20-12) their first victory of the season against a team ranked in the Top 25 of the college basketball polls at the time the game was played. Texas also defeated No. 21 Temple, 77-65, on Dec. 17 when the Owls (24-6) were unranked.

J’Covan Brown led the Longhorns to Thursday’s victory by scoring a team-high 23 points. The triumph means Texas, No. 50 in the most recent RPI rankings and projected to be the final school into the 68-team NCAA field by ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi, enhanced its resume by defeating the Cyclones (22-10), the third seed in the Big 12 Tournament.

“In terms of the NCAA Tournament … I told our guys, ‘Let’s say we are on the bubble. If I wrote down ‘NIT’ or ‘NCAA,’ which one would you put your name under now?,’” said Texas coach Rick Barnes. “Whichever one you want, I can assure you you’re going to have to earn it ... And I’m just really proud of them. It’s a great team win. I thought we stayed with our game plan from start to finish better than at any point the entire year.”

Texas’ fate will not be decided until Sunday, unless the Longhorns earn the league’s automatic NCAA berth that goes to the Big 12 Tournament champion. But John Underwood, the Big 12 associate commissioner for men’s basketball, has run the numbers and likes Texas’ chances to land the league’s sixth NCAA berth as an at-large team.

“I think we’ll get six,” Underwood said. “I’ll be disappointed if we don’t.”

Texas has been considered an NCAA bubble team since securing a 9-9 finish in the Big 12 regular-season standings. But the Longhorns headed into Thursday’s game with an 0-8 record against ranked opponents.

That is now 1-8, thanks to a tight victory in which Brown’s 3-point play with 36 seconds remaining broke a 65-65 tie and triggered Texas’ 6-0 closing run. With the victory, Texas improved to 2-8 this season in games decided by six points or less.

The Longhorns advance to Friday’s semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament, where Texas will face No. 5 Missouri (28-4). The Tigers, an 88-70 winner over Oklahoma State, won both regular-season matchups against Texas.

To put itself in position to win, Texas went on a 22-4 run during a 6:11 stretch of the second half to erase a 40-29 deficit. The spurt put Texas on top by seven, and the lead eventually reached eight before Iowa State rallied behind forward Royce White (17 points, 10 rebounds).

White’s jumper with 52 seconds remaining forged a 65-65 tie, which Brown broke with his three-point play on the Longhorns’ ensuing possession. Brown made a short jumper in the lane while being fouled by Iowa State’s Scott Christopherson.

“I drove left and when I felt (a defender) on my side, I had to spin and I did,” Brown said. “And Christopherson came over and fouled me. I knew I had to get it on the rim.”

He did. The ball went down and, moments later, so did Brown’s foul shot. Three more free throws _ two by Jonathan Holmes, one by Myck Kabongo _ sealed the biggest victory of the season for a Texas team that has six freshmen in its rotation and played Thursday night without 6-foot-7 forward Alexis Wangmene (wrist), its top interior defender.

Yet the Longhorns, using a four-guard offense for much of the second half, were outrebounded by only a 41-39 margin by the taller, burlier Cyclones. Texas also limited itself to six turnovers while forcing 13.

“We’re not young any more. We’ve grown up,” said Kabongo, a freshman point guard who contributed seven of his 11 points during Texas’ second-half rally against ISU. “We’ve shown strides, every single one of us.”

Now, all signs point to those freshmen being headed to the NCAA Tournament. Typically, teams must finish in the Top 50 of the RPI rankings to earn an at-large, NCAA berth.

Texas’ victory over Iowa State, the No. 30 team in the latest RPI, will comfortably boost Texas into the Top 50. It also gave the Longhorns their fourth victory of the season against opponents ranked in the Top 50 of the RPI: two against Iowa State, one against Kansas State (No. 42 in RPI) and one against Temple, No. 13 in the latest RPI.

Brown said Thursday’s game had an NCAA-type feel because of everything on the line for the Longhorns.

“Tournament time is always a great thing to play in,” Brown said. “The crowd, I think we only had like a couple of fans. But they had a great amount of fans. You love to walk into other gyms and quiet their fans. So we went out there and just gave it our all for 40 minutes.”

In all likelihood, that effort probably clinched the Longhorns’ 14th consecutive berth to the NCAA Tournament.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. _Texas boosted its opportunity to secure a 14th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament with Thursday night’s 71-65 victory over No. 25 Iowa State in the Sprint Center.

The victory gave the Longhorns (20-12) their first victory of the season against a team ranked in the Top 25 of the college basketball polls at the time the game was played. Texas also defeated No. 21 Temple, 77-65, on Dec. 17 when the Owls (24-6) were unranked.

J’Covan Brown led the Longhorns to Thursday’s victory by scoring a team-high 23 points. The triumph means Texas, No. 50 in the most recent RPI rankings and projected to be the final school into the 68-team NCAA field by ESPN analyst Joe Lunardi, enhanced its resume by defeating the Cyclones (22-10), the third seed in the Big 12 Tournament.

Texas has been considered an NCAA bubble team since securing a 9-9 finish in the Big 12 regular-season standings. But the Longhorns headed into Thursday’s game with an 0-8 record against ranked opponents.

That is now 1-8, thanks to a tight victory in which Brown’s 3-point play in the final minute broke a 65-65 tie and triggered Texas’ 6-0 closing run. With the victory, Texas improved to 2-8 this season in games decided by six points or less.

Typically, teams must finish in the Top 50 of the RPI rankings to earn an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. Texas’ victory gave the Longhorns their fourth victory of the season against an opponent ranked 50th or higher in the latest RPI rankings. Texas is 2-1 against Iowa State (No. 30 in RPI), 1-1 against Kansas State (No. 42 in RPI) and defeated Temple, which is No. 13 in the latest RPI.

Baylor forward Perry Jones III said he is pleased the 12th-ranked Bears (26-6) will get another shot at No. 3 Kansas (27-5) in Friday’s 6:30 p.m. matchup in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals in Kansas City, Mo.

“They spanked us twice,” Jones said, reflecting on a pair of double-digit losses during the regular season. “We’ve got something to prove. We need to go out there and play defense.”

Baylor won its initial game in its new, neon-yellow uniforms the Bears will don during the postseason. Coach Scott Drew noted the Bears made only 14 turnovers in today’s 82-74 victory over Kansas State after having 18 in both regular-season matchups.

“Maybe it was the uniforms. We saw who we were passing to,” Drew said.

No doubt, the bright-colored jersies _ and matching socks _ created conversations. Guard A.J. Walton said: “I’m not really a fan of the brightness.” But fellow point guard Pierre Jackson praised the new look.

“I think it kind of distracts the other team,” Jackson said. “It gets their eyes on us, not the ball.”

Texas A&M forward Khris Middleton, a junior who scored 24 points in today’s 83-66 loss to Kansas, said he plans to huddle soon with family members to discuss whether he will make himself available in the 2012 NBA Draft. “Right now, I’m staying (at A&M),” Middleton said.

Middleton has been the Aggies' most consistent scorer the past two seasons.

Texas A&M coach Billy Kennedy said the Aggies (14-18) have issues that can only be addressed through recruiting if the team is to improve next season. He addressed the issue after today's season-ending, 83-66 loss to No. 3 Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament.

“We need some help,” said Kennedy, who saw four of his top eight players miss a combined 61 games this season because of injury or transfer. “To win big at this level, you’ve got to have good players. We’ve got a nucleus but we’ve got to add some more talent and some more toughness to our team.”

Kennedy, a first-year coach, took issue with the team’s work ethic and chemistry at times this season.

“We got better the last three weeks in practice. Our effort was better,” Kennedy said. “I just want them to learn to keep fighting, keep competing and making good choices every day … It’s hard to do that when you have injuries, you have a new coaching staff and you have the adversity we went through.”

In addition to A&M’s injuries, Kennedy missed most of October after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.